In order to control population growth, it is commonly recommended that animals not kept for breeding purposes be neutered. Unrestricted breeding among animals leads to overpopulation, particularly of "stray" or abandoned animals. In metropolitan areas, such overbreeding necessitates costly animal control programs to maintain public health and control nuisances. To avoid such problems, neutering is particularly encouraged for small animals kept as household pets, such as dogs and cats. In male animals, this is accomplished by orchidectomy, or surgical removal of the testes from the scrotal sac.
Such surgery is generally safe for the animal and relatively inexpensive. However, the surgery does alter the appearance of the animal. In large dogs, such as bloodhounds, mastiffs and shepherds, the empty scrotal sac is particularly noticeable. While recognizing that responsible pet ownership requires neutering, nonetheless, many pet owners find themselves uncomfortable with such a disfiguring procedure. The permanently altered appearance of their pet serves as a constant reminder of their surgical choice. Comments by strangers who misidentify the gender of the pet may serve to exacerbate this discomfort.